Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church Luke 1-11 • The Need to Repent and Bear Fruit • Luke 3:1-20 • 5/17/2020

MAIN POINT

From John the Baptist’s preaching, we’re reminded of our need for repentance and the spiritual fruit produced by genuine faith.

INTRODUCTION

As your group time begins, use this section to introduce the topic of discussion.

Have you ever had an encounter with a street preacher? If so, describe the experience. How were the other people around you responding to him?

What are your feelings toward a street preacher approach to evangelism?

Read Matthew 3:4. How would you have reacted if you ran across this oddly dressed, unkempt street preacher and he confronted you about your sins?

UNDERSTANDING

Unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says or means about a particular topic.

Have a volunteer read Luke 3:1-9.

John the Baptist received God’s message and proclaimed it to the people. He called for people to repent of sins in preparation for the Messiah’s appearance. Eventually, John’s public rebuke of a political ruler’s sinful behavior landed him in prison (vv. 19-20).

How old was John the last time we saw him? (See Luke 1:80.)

Look back at Luke 1:76-79. What did Zechariah prophesy about his son in that passage? How do you see John the Baptist fulfilling his father’s prophecy here?

God used John as a mouthpiece, or spokesman, at this crucial time in history. God commissioned John as a prophet and equipped him for the task. With the phrase “son of Zechariah,” Luke identified John as the one born to prepare the way for the Lord (1:13-17). Obviously, the desert played a significant role in John’s life. Luke also mentioned John’s life in the desert in Luke 1:80. The reference to the desert not only indicated John’s location, but it also helped identify John as the prophetic voice promised in Isaiah 40:3. Desert places held significance for others mentioned in the Bible, including Jesus.

Page 1 of 4 What message did John preach?

What is the purpose of repentance? How would you explain your experience of repentance to an unbeliever?

Why do Christians, though saved, need to live a lifestyle of ongoing repentance?

What is revealed about our attitude toward sin if we want salvation without repentance?

Repentance means turning from sin and turning toward God. The repentant person expresses a sincere, inner reorientation of life away from sin and toward God. Spiritual transformation within a person becomes evident in that individual’s lifestyle and behavior. Once you have repented and been forgiven of sins, you become sensitive to areas of your life that are not in accordance with God’s will.

What do we miss if we fail to turn toward God in repentance and only turn away from sin?

According to verse 9, what is the result of repentance?

How did the crowds miss the point that saving faith leads to serving faith? What excuse did they have for not living for and serving God?

What similar excuses might we offer for not producing the fruit of repentance?

Based on the examples in Luke 3:10-14, what would John say God wants you to do to bear fruit consistent with repentance in each of these roles or jobs? What might John tell the people in your occupation?

Have a volunteer read Luke 3:15-20.

John’s preaching and the subsequent response of sinners were powerful demonstrations of God’s power. Those who witnessed these amazing events watched expectantly. Israel had been waiting for the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. The people debated in their minds, wondering whether John the Baptist was the Christ.

According to verses 15-16, how was John different from Jesus?

Put John’s warning in verse 17 into your own words. Why was this important to note in a conversation about repentance and the coming Messiah?

John’s reference to the Messiah being more powerful indicated the Messiah had greater authority—not just more strength or ability—than John. John’s authority was an endowed power, given to him by God who called him. The Messiah’s authority is inherent in Himself. His is the power to save, and His is the authority to judge. It’s important to note that the events described in Luke 3:19-20 are not given in chronological sequence, since John could not have baptized Jesus while he was in prison. Luke wrapped up his discussion of John’s ministry before moving on to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John was arrested at some point after Jesus began His public ministry.

APPLICATION

Help your group identify how the truths from the Scripture passage apply directly to their lives.

How would your relationship with God be different if He demanded perfection and repentance wasn’t an option? Explain.

What can you do this week to show God how much you appreciate His grace and mercy?

What are some specific ways you’ve seen God’s power at work in your life when you’ve faced temptations?

Page 2 of 4 PRAYER

Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 as a word of encouragement to your group. Spend time in silent prayer, giving your group members the opportunity to voice prayers of repentance for sin. After a few minutes, close with a prayer of thanks to God for the power He gives us to fight back against the enemy.

COMMENTARY

Luke 3:1-20

John the Baptist, a prophet like Elijah, lived apart from his culture, subsisting in the desert by eating locusts and wild honey. Yet the power of his message reached ordinary people and all the way to those in the highest levels of government and religion. John’s was the first prophetic voice heard in the holy land since Malachi, nearly four hundred years before. In the style and force of Old Testament prophets, John preached about the holiness of God and the sinfulness of humanity. Crowds of people gathered in the wilderness around the Jordan River to hear this strange looking man. His stern message did not repel them but tugged at their hearts and drew them toward God.

Verse 1. The timing of John’s message was not coincidental. The list of various leaders did more than pinpoint the time of John’s preaching—in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. This list of those who ruled in Rome, Judea, Galilee, and other parts of the Roman Empire was a rogue’s gallery of treachery, debauchery, and every other type of sin. The public ministry of John the Baptist occurred in a culture of corruption.

Verse 2. John the Baptist’s ministry occurred during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the high priest then, and Annas was the former high priest and was still living during this period. At such an hour God sent His word to John, just as the angel had promised Zechariah. God’s call can reach anyone at any place for His purposes. John lived in the desert wilderness. When the Father chose someone to prepare the way for His Son, He did not select any of the religious or political leaders of the day. God chose a lone figure and endued him with prophetic power for this singular task.

Verse 3. Some may have the idea that because John baptized in the Jordan River, he primarily preached in one place. However, John traveled throughout all the vicinity of the Jordan. Such a range could have included a vast area. As he went, John preached a new kind of baptism—a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Several words are vital in understanding John’s baptism. It was different from the baptism of Jewish proselytes and unlike Christian baptism that proclaims the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus as well as that of believers. Still, faith and repentance were required before receiving John’s baptism. The word translated for is a Greek word that can mean “into” or “because of.” John baptized people because they had repented and thus had been forgiven of sins. John’s preaching did not include the idea that people were forgiven because John baptized them. Thus John’s baptism did not result in forgiveness of sin but was based on a person’s repenting and receiving forgiveness.

Verse 7. Referring to the crowds, John called them a brood of vipers, challenging their motivation in wanting to be baptized. John refused to baptize them until they demonstrated genuine repentance.

The coming wrath referred to God’s judgment of those who refused to repent. John’s comments are connected to his words about the Messiah in 3:17. A reasonable meaning is that while ultimate judgment will come at the end time, the Messiah’s presence meant sin was under God’s judgment.

Verse 8. John demanded that anyone desiring to be baptized should demonstrate fruit in his or her life that was consistent with repentance. John’s requirement does not support the false idea that salvation is through works but rather it indicates others should be able to discern a difference in the life of someone who has truly repented. The self-justification of many Jews was their spiritual heritage. By claiming Abraham as their father,

Page 3 of 4 they believed they already were part of God’s kingdom. John debunked this myth and pointed out that if God wanted, He could raise up children for Abraham from these stones.

Verse 9. John pointed out the urgency of repentance. John followed the reference to Abraham with the metaphor of trees. If the metaphor refers to all people, the root well could mean the nation of Israel itself.

Ultimately, each person is responsible for his or her relationship with God. People whose lives do not demonstrate good fruit that is evidence of true repentance of sin will face God’s judgment. The imagery of a tree being cut down and thrown into the fire is a clear description of unrepentant sinners who are cast into hell. John the Baptist taught that those who genuinely repent will not continue to practice a sinful lifestyle. The repentant person does not become perfect and will sin again. Yet, repentance means the believer sincerely is seeking not to sin but rather to obey and serve the Lord.

Verse 10-11. True spirituality impacts real life. When confronted with John’s challenge, even the masses understood their lives had to change. The question What then should we do indicates awareness that action was demanded to demonstrate repentance. John’s response regarding giving clothing or food to someone who has none was not definitive but illustrative. Repentance of sin means that those who have abused or ignored the poor should show a change of heart by meeting others’ needs. However, to limit the expression of repentance to these specific acts would be to miss John’s point here.

Verse 12-13. Luke noted several examples of specific types of people who came to be baptized. Tax collectors, who were vilified for their fraudulent practices against other Jews, asked what they should do. Their question revealed a desire to live differently. The most common wrongdoing of tax collectors was collecting and keeping huge differences over what the government authorized, John again did not limit their repentance to a single aspect of their lives but used the most glaring sin as an example.

Verse 14. Some soldiers also approached John, wanting to know how repentance should affect their lives. John’s response was appropriate to their situations and their sins. The term soldiers could apply to an occupying army, to temple guards, or to mercenaries hired by the Jewish rulers, perhaps to aid the tax collectors. John applied the principles of repentance to the typical wrongs of such people. They should not coerce money and they should be content with their wages. In each example here repentance and a change of lifestyle are inseparably linked. We cannot merely say we are sorry and be forgiven. Our lives will exhibit true repentance as we turn from sin and to Christ.

3:15-20 John illustrated his inferiority to the Messiah in verse 16. The Coming One would be more powerful than John. True humility surfaced as John expressed his unworthiness to untie the sandal thongs of the coming Christ. Only the most menial of slaves was required to untie the sandals of his master. John did not view himself as worthy to perform the duty of the lowliest slave for the Messiah. John the Baptist demonstrated genuine humility. As the forerunner of the Messiah, John demonstrated an appropriate attitude. He focused on Jesus instead of drawing attention to himself.

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